A New Species of Cathayornis from the Lower Cretaceous of Inner Mongolia, China and Its Stratigraphic Significance

An incomplete postcranial avian skeleton is described from the Lower Cretaceous Jingchuan Formation of Otog Banner of western Inner Mongolia and referred to a new species of Cathayornis, C. chabuensis sp. nov. This is the first report of a Cathayornis from outside Liaoning Province. The new discovery indicates that Cathayornis coexisted with Otogornis genghisi, and a more detailed comparison between these two enantiornithine genera shows that Otogornis represents a more primitive genus than Cathayornis. Our analyses further indicate that Cathayornis is an arboreal bird. The discovery of a Cathayornis from this region also confirms that the avian fossil-bearing Jingchuan Formation is comparable to the Jiufotang Formation of the upper Jehol Group in western Liaoning, and should be referred to the middle-late Early Cretaceous.     

A New Species of Cathayornis from the Lower Cretaceous of Inner Mongolia, China and Its Stratigraphic Significance

An incomplete postcranial avian skeleton is described from the Lower Cretaceous Jingchuan Formation of Otog Banner of western Inner Mongolia and referred to a new species of Cathayornis, C. chabuensis sp. nov. This is the first report of a Cathayornis from outside Liaoning Province. The new discovery indicates that Cathayornis coexisted with Otogornis genghisi, and a more detailed comparison between these two enantiornithine genera shows that Otogornis represents a more primitive genus than Cathayornis. Our analyses further indicate that Cathayornis is an arboreal bird. The discovery of a Cathayornis from this region also confirms that the avian fossil-bearing Jingchuan Formation is comparable to the Jiufotang Formation of the upper Jehol Group in western Liaoning, and should be referred to the middle-late Early Cretaceous.     

Precious Fossil-Bearing Beds of the Lower Cretaceous Jiufotang Formation in Western Liaoning Province, China

Based on the subdivision into three members of the Lower Cretaceous Jiufotang Formation in western Liaoning, this paper deals mainly with the division and correlation of precious fossil bird-and reptile-bearing beds of the formation in the Dachengzi, Chaoyang, Dapingfang-Meileyingzi and Fuxin-Yixian basins. Among them, the precious fossil-bearing beds in the Dachengzi Basin may be recognized as the Xidagou Bed of the second member and the Yangcaogoudonggou Bed of the third member; those in the Chaoyang Basin may be confirmed as the Shangheshou Bed of the second member and the Dongpochi Bed of the third member; those in the Dapingfang-Meileyingzi Basin are as the Lamagou Bed of the second member, the Huanghuagou Bed of the lower third member and the Yuanjiawa Bed of the upper third member; and those in the Fuxin-Yixian Basin are listed as the Tuanshanzi Bed of the second member and the Pijiagou Bed of the third member. Since these basins are distinctly separated and the bird and reptile fossils are mostly new genera and species, we have to use the associated fossil ostracod assemblages as index to correlate the Xidagou Bed with the Shangheshou Bed and the Lamagou Bed, and to correlate the Yuanjiawa Bed with the Yangcaogoudonggou Bed and the Pijiagou Bed. Primarily, we established the sequence of the precious fossil-bearing beds of the Jiufotang Formation in western Liaoning. They are represented by, in ascending order, the Xidagou Bed of the second member, the Huanghuagou Bed of the lower third member, and the Yuanjiawa Bed of the upper third member. Obviously, this work has significance for the study on the time-space distribution and radiation of birds and dinosaurs during the period of the middle Early Cretaceous.     

New Material of Feilongus (Reptilia: Pterosauria) from the Lower Cretaceous Jiufotang Formation of Western Liaoning

Based on a new nearly naturally preserved skull and four cervical vertebrae of the pterosaur Feilongus sp. from the lower Cretaceous Jiufotang Formation of Beipiao, western Liaoning province, northeastern China, the diagnosis of Feilongus is amended. The revised diagnosis notes long, curved, needle-shaped teeth that are confined to the jaw far anterior to the nasoantorbital fenestra; posterior teeth that are slightly smaller than the anterior teeth; cervical vertebrae elongated with a ratio of length to width greater than 5; tooth number of about 78; and two cranial sagittal crests.     

A New Genus and Species of Sapeornithidae from Lower Cretaceous in Western Liaoning, China

Sapeornithidae is a basal pygostylian family of Early Cretaceous primitive birds, in which only one genus and species, Sapeornis chaoyangensis, was reported before. This paper deals with a new genus and species of this family, Didactylornis jii gen. et sp. nov., which was unearthed from the Early Cretaceous Jiufotang Formation in western Liaoning. According to our phylogenetic analyses, both Didactylornis gen. nov. and Sapeornis form a sister group, which is basal to the clade formed by Confuciusornis and all the more derived birds, and more closely related to the short-tailed pygostylian birds than to the long-tailed avialian birds. The early history of pygostylian birds is poorly documented except for the studies of Confuciusornis and Sapeornis. The discovery ofDidactylornisjii gen. et sp. nov. adds the new material for the study on the early evolution of birds.     

On the Lower Cretaceous in Yixian County of Jinzhou City, Western Liaoning, China

Traditionally, the lacustrine deposits in Yixian County of Western Liaoning have been assigned to either “the Dakangpu Bed” of the Yixian Formation or the Jiufotang Formation. However, a 206Pb/238U age of 126.47±0.87 Ma is newly obtained from the tuff sample (06051) of the lacustrine deposits in the Baitaigou fossil site of Potaizi village, Yixian County, indicating that the lacustrine deposits in Potaizi area are approximately equivalent to the Wumingshan volcanics of the Sihetun Bed of the Yixian Formation in Beipiao. From our new dating data have arisen some new problems: Where could we find the Jiufotang Formation in Yixian County? How widely distributed is the Jiufotang Formation in Western Liaoning? Could the traditionally named Jiufotang Formation somewhere in Western Liaoning be the synchronous deposits of other litho-units (e.g. the Yixian Formation) in different facies? Could some lacustrine deposits somewhere in Western Liaoning have been assigned to the Jiufotang Formation?     

LA-ICPMS Zircon U-Pb Dating in the Jurassic Daohugou Beds and Correlative Strata in Ningcheng of Inner Mongolia

LA-ICPMS Zircon U-Pb dating is applied to volcanic rocks overlying and underlying the Salamander-bearing bed in the Daohugou beds of Ningcheng in Inner Mongola and Reshuichang of Lingyuan and Mazhangzi of Jianping in western Liaoning. The results indicate that the youngest age of the rocks in Daohugou of Ningcheng is 158 Ma, and the oldest one is 164 Ma. Synthesized researches indicate that the salamander-bearing beds in Daohugou of Ningcheng, Reshuichang of Lingyuan and Mazhangzi of Jianping were developed in the same period. The Daohugou beds were formed in the geological age of 164-158 Ma of the middle-late Jurassic. Whilst, the Daohugou beds and its corrdative strata should correspond to the Tiaojishan Formation （or Lanqi Formation） of the middle Jurassic in northern Hebei Province and western Liaoning Province, based on the disconformity between the Daohugou beds and its overlaying beds of the Tuchengzi Formation of Late Jurassic and the Jehol Beds of early Cretaceous, and the disconformity between the Daohugou Beds and its underlying Jiulongshan Formation, which is composed of conglomerate, sandstone, shale with coal and thin coal beds.     

An Early Cretaceous Avialian Bird, Shenzhouraptor sinensis from Western Liaoning, China

This paper describes an avialian bird from the Early Cretaceous Jiufotang Formation in Yixian county, western Liaoning, China, which is named as Shenzhouraptor sinensis by Ji et al. on July 15, 2002. Shenzhouraptor sinensis is characterized by no teeth in its mouth, the forelimbs longer than the hindlimbs, a long tail with more than 23 caudal vertebrae, U-shaped wishbone, and remiges longer than the total length of ulna and manus. It is certain that the new avialian bird is really capable of powerful flight, representing a missing link between theropod dinosaurs and birds.     

New Fossil Beetles of the Family Elateridae from the Jehol Biota of China (Coleoptera: Polyphaga)

Two new species of elaterids assigned to two new genera with intriguing fossa on prosternum are described and illustrated： Bilineariselaterfoveatus gen. et sp. nov. and Curtelater wui gen. et sp. nov. from the Upper Jurassic-Lower Cretaceous Yixian Formation of western Liaoning, China. The origin of the clicking mechanism in these beetles and the systematic position of the two genera are briefly discussed.     

A new pterodactyloid pterosaur from the Early Cretaceous of the western part of Liaoning Province, northeastern China

Pangupterus liui gen. et sp. nov. from the Jiufotang Formation of Sihedang, Lingyuan City, Liaoning Province is erected based on a nearly complete lower jaw. It is characterized by having a total of 36 slender curved teeth with sharp tips, forming a distinct fish-grabbing mechanism; the teeth are well-spaced and are circular in section; the length ratio of the mandibular symphysis to the whole jaw is 20%; and the ratio of the tooth root width to tooth length is 12%. Toothed pterosaurs make up about 56.3% of the pterosaur assemblage from the Jiufotang Formation, which indicates that toothed forms played a key role in the ecosystem.     

辽宁西部一新的帆翼龙类化石

根据发现于辽西朝阳九佛堂组一具有部分头骨的不完整骨架,命名一新的帆翼龙--赵氏龙城翼龙(新属新种).头骨和牙齿形态显示龙城翼龙与宽齿帆翼龙的关系要比与其他翼龙的关系密切,龙城翼龙是目前辽西九佛堂组中发现的唯一的帆翼龙类.帆翼龙科原仅一属种,发现于英国早白垩世地层中,辽西早白垩世新帆翼龙的发现,不但扩大了其地理分布,也证明辽西是晚侏罗世至早白垩世翼龙辐射、分异的重要地区.这对研究翼龙的起源和演化有重要意义.     

辽西早白垩世离龙类地理地史分布及其演化

离龙类是一在形态和生态适应上高度特化的水生—半水生爬行动物双孔亚纲的灭绝支系。离龙目的地理分布局限于北半球,地史分布从侏罗纪一直延续到中新世。辽西是中国最为重要的离龙类化石产地,化石点主要分布于凌源、义县、朝阳和建昌4个地区,尤其以义县地区化石点的分布最为密集。目前辽西已经发现的离龙类包括3科4属5种,其中潜龙和满洲鳄2属的化石仅发现于义县组,而伊克昭龙与戏水龙2属的化石则仅见于九佛堂组。化石证据表明,白垩纪离龙类在辽西范围内的延展分布呈现一个自西向东、由南向北的地理地史演化过程。化石证据也表明辽西的离龙类在较短的时期和较窄的地域范围内经历了一个快速分异演化的过程。长颈潜龙类和短吻满洲鳄类在辽西同时首现于凌源义县组大新房子层,并先后灭绝于义县组的大康堡层和金刚山层。潜龙类最后出现的大康堡层的火山凝灰岩层密集保存了数以千计的潜龙类个体,可能代表该类群于早白垩世发生了与火山喷发活动紧密相关的集群灭绝事件。而后,短吻戏水龙和长吻伊克昭龙同时首现于九佛堂组第2段,并于该组第3段沉积时期内灭绝。整个辽西地域内的离龙类的分布从126～120Ma,在经历了大约6Ma的快速分异演化之后,均于早白垩世阿普第期灭绝。     

New Eoenantiornithid Bird from the Early Cretaceous Jiufotang Formation of Western Liaoning, China

1 Introduction Enantiornithes were the most blooming branch among the early birds and had distinct diversities. They flourished in the Early Cretaceous (Kurochkim, 1985; Chiappe, 1991; Sanz and Bonaparte, 1992; Boles, 1995; Elzanowski, 1995), and become extinct at the end of the Late Cretaceous. Lots of the birds have been reported in western Liaoning, China (Sereno and Rao, 1992; Zhou, 1995; Hou, 1996, 1997; Sanz and Chiappe, 1996; Sanz et al., 1997; Hou and Chen, 1999; Hou et al., 1…     

辽宁西部早白垩世朝阳翼龙科 (Chaoyangopteridae)化石一新种

中国辽宁西部早白垩世翼龙类化石非常丰富,其上部的九佛堂组翼龙类组合以含有丰富的无齿的古神翼龙科、朝阳翼龙科等进步类型而与下部的义县组翼龙类组合相区别。本文描述了辽宁西部建昌盆地九佛堂组一新的大型翼龙类化石,其以上下颌无齿、吻端指数为3.7、前颌骨背支细长且封闭鼻眶前孔背缘、很大的鼻眶前孔后端超过上下颌关节位置、轭骨的上颌骨突基部宽大而应被归入朝阳翼龙科(Chaoyangopteridae)神州翼龙属(Shenzhoupterus)。其以较大的体形(翼展2.05 m)、平直的上下颌咬合面、轭骨的眶后骨突较泪骨突长且基部略宽、第4～7颈椎长度依次减小等特征,区别于朝阳神州翼龙(Shenzhoupterus chaoyangensis),而被命名为三亚神州翼龙(新种)(Shenzhoupterus sanyainus sp. nov.)。这是辽宁西部早白垩世翼展最大且不具牙齿的翼龙类属种,它的发现丰富了九佛堂组翼龙类组合内容,对认识朝阳翼龙科的骨骼形态与生态习性亦具有积极意义。     

辽西地区义县组昆虫化石及其生物地层、古生态学意义

作为热河昆虫群的重要组成部分,辽西地区义县组昆虫化石内容独特、丰富,共有49科83属,明显区别于同属热河昆虫群的大北沟组和九佛堂组,生物地层单位称为Epheeropsis trisetalis-Sinaeschnidia cancellosa组合,时代为晚侏罗世晚期-早白垩世早期.昆虫群反映了当时温暖而潮湿的气候环境及因地形不同引起的小气候的存在.     

辽西地区白垩纪张老公屯组火山岩的层位及时代

辽西地区白垩系义县组之上存在一期火山喷发活动已得到大多数学者的认可,但其所属层位仍有争议,主要有4种意见：位于孙家湾组之上;位于孙家湾组与阜新组之间;位于九佛堂组与阜新组之间,与沙海组层位相当;位于沙海组与九佛堂组之间.根据野外出露情况、区域分布特征及同位素年代资料等,认为该期火山岩位于孙家湾组之下,覆盖于义县组、九佛堂组、沙海组、阜新组等不同层位上,同位素年龄为97~106 Ma,属早白垩世晚期.     

辽西早白垩世九佛堂组一新的初鸟类

描述了产于辽宁朝阳盆地联合乡回家子南山早白垩世九佛堂组一新的初鸟类化石。因其头骨下颌近前部具有一嵴状突;前肢短于后肢,前后肢长度比率为0,82;掌骨未愈合;后足纤细,第一趾反转,与其他三趾对握;尾椎少于23节等特征,区别于其他任何已知的初鸟类,故命名为一新属、新种一粗颌大连乌（Dalianraptor cuhe gen．et sp.nov）。     

辽西早白垩世一反鸟类新属种的发现

新反鸟化石（Gracilornis jiufotangensis gen. et sp. nov.）产于辽宁省朝阳地区早白垩世九佛堂组。根据该反鸟的骨骼细弱、肢骨关节发达、胸骨与躯干相比较小（胸骨宽与躯干长比率约为0.11;胸骨长与躯干长比率约为0.13）等不同于其他已知反鸟的特征,建立一新属种,归于华夏鸟科（Cathayornithidae）。     

辽西朝阳地区下白垩统九佛堂组一新的离龙类

根据发现于辽宁省西部朝阳地区下白垩统九佛堂组的离龙类一具有头骨的不完整骨架，建立Simoedosauridae科中的一新属新种：朝阳辽西龙：Liaoxisaurus chaoyangensis gen．etsp．nov．。朝阳辽西龙的下颌缝合部短，小于下颌长度的20％，牙齿齿槽近似正方形，区别于任何已知的进步的离龙类。它吻部相对较短，占头骨总长的49．8％。